Canoe Camping!

We just got back from our only camping trip of the summer and it couldn't have been better. The views of Mt Baker and Mt. Shuksan were absolutely picture perfect and we stayed on a campground next to Baker Lake. We went on beautiful hikes, the weather was perfect and the water was a stunning turquoise. The kids had the best time swimming, kayaking, canoeing and even discovered a rope swing that they successfully conquered. The swimming area had these logs that the kids loved walking across, Addy "walked on water" and made it all the way across the lake! It was an absolutely perfect camping trip, except for the mosquitos! Poor Addy was exhausted of being eaten alive by them.

Beach Camp

The kids both did their first beach camp this summer. Addy did the week long sleepover camp which was 6 nights and 7 days and Cameron did the week long day camp. I was so impressed with what they get to do all week. The location is right on the Puget Sound and Addy actually slept on the building that is on the pier on the water. Although, I'm not really sure how much she actually slept, there were 15 girls in her "cabin". The activities were amazing and included paddle boarding, kayaking, boating, snorkeling, a trapeze swing, and more. Addy did the cliff jump into the water and Cameron caught a fish with his hands! The kids basically lived in a wetsuit all week and were constantly in the water. 

We really missed Addy since she was gone all week, although Cameron liked to pretend he didn't miss her at all. He did like the extra attention and Addy liked having time away from us. I think they will both do the sleepover camp next year. 

First Week of Summer Break

The kids just finished their first week of summer break and it was a pretty exciting week. Addy went to her first "real" concert. I took Addy, her friend and her mom to a Shawn Mendes concert at Climate Pledge Arena. We bought the tickets forever ago and it was so fun to finally be able to go to a big live show. Addy loved it and it was special for me to be able to join her. She seemed very grown up at the show and loved all of the lights and special effects. It was extremely entertaining. 

The very next night Cameron had the championship game of his baseball tournament. His team had unfortunately lost the first game of the tournament but they battled back through the loser's bracket and won 7 games in a row. They had to beat the other team twice since they had no losses and not only did they do that, but they ten-runned them in both games! They won 11-1 in the first game and 20-9 in the championship! It was so exciting to watch, and nerve racking since Cameron was pitching in the final game. I'm so proud of this team because they worked incredibly hard and kept a positive attitude all season and really deserved to win the championship. Cameron was the youngest kid on the team and the only 3rd grader, but he made some good friends and really contributed to the team. 

Big week for both kids! Hard to believe it's already July. 

A Tough Day

Friday was the last day of school for the kids and a day of taking a huge step backwards to 50 years ago. I couldn't concentrate all day and felt an intense mix of sadness, anger, devastation and helplessness. Addy came home from school and was in tears and when I asked her about it she said she was sad happy because of being done with elementary school. Her tears brought on my tears so we just hugged and cried. She told me all about her emotions about finishing 6th grade and going into middle school. I told her what happened in the Supreme Court and she instantly understood why this was such a big deal and that it made no sense. I told her that my only hope is that her generation can be the change that is needed. I wish I had the right words but they just feel empty right now. The priorities of this country leave me speechless. 

Localvore!

Last weekend, Edmonds has their "localvore" days which involves getting a passport to 10 local stores and if you get a stamp at each place, you can enter a drawing and get a swag bag (if you finish early enough). It's one of my favorite things because you support the local stores who also usually have fun booths and specials. Addy and I went with my friend and her daughter. The girls got their hair braided, we made flower rings and got cute Edmonds shirts. It turned out to be a beautiful day so it was just perfect to be walking around town. My favorite was the flower shop who created a flower photo wall that was absolutely amazing. Addy kept us on task and we finished in time to get a swag bag, but even cooler was that my name was drawn for the grand prize so I won merchandise from every single store! As if I needed a reason to love Edmonds even more. 

Explore

On the drive to our mini-vacation over Memorial Day we stopped at park that had a bunch of great trails, a boardwalk and even some animals and a lookout tower. It was fun to explore and we timed it perfectly between the rain showers. We had been there before but the kids didn't remember anything about it. They also had an amazing fragrance garden with more variety of plants than I think I've ever seen. It was beautiful to see and to smell. You know it's good when the kids want to keep looking at all the plants and flowers! They also couldn't get enough of the chickens. I guess now that we don't have ours anymore they are more excited about chickens! 

Semi-Vacation at Semiahmoo

Over Memorial Day weekend I took the kids on a little getaway to a resort called Semiahmoo while Brian took a boys trip to Minnesota. We had a great time and lucked out that the weather changed for the better and there was hardly any rain. The resort is on a penisula with views of Canada over the bay. We did just about everything they have to offer, except golf! We rode bikes, played pingpong and pickle ball, swam and roasted marshmallows on the beach. I was really impressed with how good the kids were at pickle ball, they've been playing at school and it shows.